Furrow extending attachments for tractors

ABSTRACT

An elongated frame bar is removably attached to the conventional implement drag bar or the rear cultivator bar of a tractor so as to successively align with the terminations of a plurality of parallel spaced-apart row irrigation furrows. A carriage, provided with a ditch forming plow, is mounted so as to be longitudinally moved back and forth along said frame bar by a roller chain propelled by a reversible motor so that the ditch forming plow will enter and extend the length of each row irrigation furrow as the frame bar successively aligns therewith.

1451 July 11, 1972 1,522,800 H1925 FOR TRACTORS 557,822 4/1896 2,327,9378/1943 Jollll Ylklfll. O 0 Am 357,788 2/1887 Root et ll. dale, Colo.81022 Primary ExaminerRobert E. Pulfrey 1970 Assistant Examiner-CliffordD. Crowder [21] Appl. No.: 85,869 Attorney-R. H. Galbreath ....l72/l00,172/102, 172/703, [57] CT An elonpted frame bar is removabl tionalimplement drag bar or the United States Patent Yaklich [54] FURROWEXTENDING ATTACHMENTS [72] Inventor:

[22] Filed:

[52] U.S.Cl...........

172/742 y attached to the conven- [51] Int. Cl. r cul ivator bar ofaInc- [58} rue 172/100, 102, 763, 753,691, tor as to wwwively alien withthe termination: of p 172 37 254 702 703 742 rality of parallelspaced-apart row irrigation furrows. A carriage, provided with a ditchforming plow, is mounted so as to m be tudinally moved back and forthalon said frame bar [56] R CM by r ller chain propelled by a revenible motor so that the UNITED STATES PATENTS ditch forming plow will enter andextend the length of each bar succeaively alignsrowin-igationfimowastheframe w l M 9 6 9 1 7 2 0 l 4 5 3 FURROWEXTENDING ATTACHMENTS FOR TRACIORS This invention is primarily designedfor use on ditch irrigated row crop farms upon which row ditches orirrigation furrows extend between and parallel to the rows to conveywater from a main lateral ditch to the rows of plants. Since theplanting plows and cultivators follow behind the tractors, it isimpossible for the tractors to continue the plant rows and theirrigation furrows completely to the main lateral ditch. Therefore anunworked area, of to 14 feet in width, will intervene between thelateral ditch and the ends of the parallel rows over which theirrigation furrows are customarily extended by hand for irrigationpurposes.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a tractorattachment which will enable the tractor to be driven laterally of theirrigation furrows in the unworked area to individually extend theirrigation furrows into close proximity with a lateral main ditch sothat water can be easily conveyed or siphoned directly from the lateralditch into the furrows without the requirement of hand labor.

A further object is to provide a furrow extending attachment of theabove type which can be quickly and easily and firmly attached to anddetached from a conventional agricultural tractor which will be operablefrom and by the conventional tractor controls.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of theinvention, which is designed for simplicity, economy and efficiency.These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. Likenumerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawings and throughoutthe description.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of the improved furrow extendingattachment for tractors;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the attachment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross section taken on the line 3-3, FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a similar enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4,FIG. I.

In FIG. 1, the relative positions of a tractor 10, a lateral main ditchII and a row irrigation furrow 12 have been indicated in broken line.The "unworked area" is indicated at "A" in FIG. 1. It is conventionalwith agricultural tractors to provide a tool bar, to which variousimplements can be attached, and which is provided with hydraulic meanswhich will enable the tool bar to be hydraulically raised and loweredunder control of the tractor driver. Such a tool bar is shown in brokenline at 13 in the drawings and will be hereinafier referred to as thecultivator bar 13. The present invention is designed to be attached toand supported by the cultivator bar 13 and will make use of theconventional hydraulic means of the tractor 10.

The invention comprises a flat, straight, elongated, horizontal framebar 14 to which a plurality of structural pedestals 15 are welded so asto extend upwardly in medial, spaced-apart, longitudinal alignment. Aflat rectangular, horizontal top plate 16 is welded to the top of eachpedestal l5 and a pair of similar supporting arms 17 are clamped to eachtop plate, by means of suitable clamp bolts 18, and extend forwardlytherefrom in parallel, spaced alignment. The forward portions of eachpair of the arms 17 are notched, as shown at 19, to fit over thecultivator bar 13. The cultivator bar is clamped into the notch 19 bymeans of U-bolt 44 positioned between the arms of each pair andextending through a clamp plate 20 which engage both arms of each pair.The arms of each pair are maintained in spaced parallel relation bymeans of a spacer bolt or rivet 21 extending through a cylindricalspacer sleeve 22. Thus the frame bar I4 is fixedly supported by theconventional cultivator bar 13 and will be vertically movablesimultaneously with and in correspondence with the conventional verticalmovements of the cultivator bar 13.

A travelling carriage is arranged to travel longitudinally Asillustrated, the carriage comprises a U-shaped carriage plate 23 whichextends across the bottom of the frame bar 14 thence upwardly at eachside thereof as shown in FIG. 3. Two roller bolts 24 extend inwardlyfrom each of the upwardly extending sides of the U-shaped carriage plateeach bolt rotatably carrying a roller 25 which rides upon the sides ofthe upper surface of the frame bar 14. The pair of rollers at one sideare sufficiently spaced from the rollers at the other side to allow freepassage by the medial pedestals 15 along the frame bar 14. A pair ofspaced-apart attachment bolts 26 extend through and between the upwardlyextending sides of the carriage plate 23 below the frame bar.

A vertical plow beam 27 is welded or otherwise medially atfixed to thebottom of the carriage plate 23 and extends downwardly therefrom tosupport an inclined, ditch-forming plow share 28. The beam 27 is rigidlybraced from the carriage plate 23 by means of triangular gusset plates29. The plow share can be attached to the plow beam in any conventionalremovable manner.

The carriage assembly is propelled lengthwise of the frame bar by meansof a conventional link-belt type of roller chain 30 the ends of whichare respectively attached to the attachment bolts 26 of the carriageplate. The roller chain extends oppositely outward from the bolts 26thence inward and upward over terminal idler sprockets 31 and 32 thenceinward and downward over upper idler sprockets 33 and 34 into drivingengagement beneath a drive sprocket 35. The terminal idler sprockets 31and 32 are mounted on sprocket shafts 36 journalled in bearings 37 atthe extremities of the frame bar 14. The upper idler sprockets 33 and 34are mounted on sprocket shafts 38journalled in supporting standards 39which extend upwardly from opposite sides of a motor platform 40 whichis supported on the supporting arms 17 midway of the length of the framebar 14. The drive sprocket 35 is mounted on the shaft of a conventionalreversible hydraulic motor 4i mounted upon the platform 40. The motor ishydraulically connected by means of suitable pressure hoses 42 and 43 tothe hydraulic system of the tractor 10 so that the motor can be operatedin either desired direction by the driver of the tractor.

OPERATION The tractor is driven onto the unworked" area A with thecultivator bar 13 elevated and parallel to the projected axes of therows. When the plow share 28 aligns with the first irrigation furrow 12,the operator hydraulically lowers the cultivator bar, with hisconventional hydraulic hitch mechanism, to cause the plow share 28 toenter the said first furrow. He then initiates his tractor hydraulicsystem so as to actuate the motor 4] to cause the roller chain to drawthe plow share forwardly along the axis of the furrow to form acontinuation thereof into close proximity with the lateral ditch l 1. Hethen elevates the cultivator bar and its associatedfurrow-extending-assembly; reverses the motor to return the plow shareto its initial position; and drives the tractor forward until the plowshare aligns with the next irrigation furrow for a repetition of theabove furrow-extending operation upon each successive irrigation furrow.

The tractor can, of course, be turned around, if desired, so that theplow share will first enter adjacent the lateral ditch I l in alignmentwith the furrows and travel towards the latter to from the extensionsthereon.

One of the principal uses has been described above but the identicalassembly could be used to extend crop planting furrows into closeproximity with fences, bridges, buildings, etc. so as to make use ofvarious unworlted spaces in a field. Since tractors are conventionallyequipped with hydraulic systems, a hydraulic motor is ideal for use onthis invention. However, the furrow extending could be accomplished withany type of reversible prime-mover.

It is preferred to form the plow beam 27 from a vertical back and forthsubstantially the full length of the frame bar. length of pipe and toprovide the share 28 with an upwardly extending bracket rod 45 whichextends telescopically into the pipe length, as shown in FIG. 3, andwhich can be locked in the pipe by means of a suitable locking pin 46.This allows the plow share to be readily faced in either desireddirection by simply removing the pin 46, rotating the bracket rod 180'and thence returning the pin to place. While a selected form oftheinvention has been above described, it is understood that mechanicalvariations and detail substitutions can be made by one skilled in theart without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. in a furrowing attachment for a conventional farm tractor having ahydraulically controlled horizontal tool bar extending across the rearend thereof, the combination comprising, an elongated frame bar attachedto said tool bar in fixed parallel relation, a traversing carriageelement mounted on said frame bar for travel back and forth along saidframe bar. said carriage including a substantially U-shaped carriageplate with its bight portion disposed beneath and its leg portionsextending upwardly around the front and rear of said frame barrespectively, at least two roller members attached to said leg portionsof said carriage plate with at least one roller member extending oversaid bar and one extending under said bar in rolling engagementtherewith, an idler gear at each extremity of said frame bar,multi-directional drive means selectively connected to the engine ofsaid tractor, a drive chain entrained around said frame bar and saididler gears and connected to said carriage and said multi-directionaldrive means to selectively drive said carriage back and forth along saidtool bar, said drive chain including a carriage actuating portion and aseparate drive engaging portion, a plow beam mounted on said carriageand extending downwardly therefrom, a vertically adjustable horizontallyrotatable plow share carried by the lower extremity of said plow beamincluding means locking said bar to said beam in one of two selectedhorizontal positions thereon whereby said plow share may be employed toform a furrow when driven in either direction along said frame bar.

2. The furrowing attachment defined by claim 1 wherein saidmulti-directional drive means constitutes an independent fluid motor.

I t i l

1. In a furrowing attachment for a conventional farm tractor having ahydraulically controlled horizontal tool bar extending across the rearend thereof, the combination comprising, an elongated frame bar attachedto said tool bar in fixed parallel relation, a traversing carriageelement mounted on said frame bar for travel back and forth along saidframe bar, said carriage including a substantially U-shaped carriageplate with its bight portion disposed beneath and its leg portionsextending upwardly around the front and rear of said frame barrespectively, at least two roller members attached to said leg portionsof said carriage plate with at least one roller member extending oversaid bar and one extending under said bar in rolling engagementtherewith, an idler gear at each extremity of said frame bar,multi-directional drive means selectively connected to the engine ofsaid tractor, a drive chain entrained around said frame bar and saididler gears and connected to said carriage and said multi-directionaldrive means to selectively drive said carriage back and forth along saidtool bar, said drive chain including a carriage actuating portion and aseparate drive engaging portion, a plow beam mounted on said carriageand extending downwardly therefrom, a vertically adjustable horizontallyrotatable plow share carried by the lower extremity of said plow beamincluding means locking said bar to said beam in one of two selectedhorizontal positions thereon whereby said plow share may be employed toform a furrow when driven in either direction along said frame bar. 2.The furrowing attachment defined by claim 1 wherein saidmulti-directional drive means constitutes an independent fluid motor.